Enter: Shadow
by leatherknight
Summary: The Galactica encounters a new foe, and Starbuck begins to grow up


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Battlestar Galactica

Enter: Shadow

Book Five

of the

Black Raptor Series

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Based on the characters

created by

Glen A. Larson

The ship was enormous in size, composed of two massive saucer shaped sections, fastened together at the center by a massive support pylon.

She was the finest that Cylon had to offer. A base ship, loaded with all the necessities for laying waste to planets and other ships.

Within the command section of the massive vessel, a figure strode between two rows of glittering computer banks, his own processor lights blazing spiral trails through the transparent dome of his head.

His robes were cobalt blue, and metallic in color, with a sheen that sparkled in the flicker of thousands in tiny lights. His own face place was merely a darker hue from his robes, in contrast to the two red sensor lights that rebounded back and forth in the tiny eye slits of his face.

Shadow was old. He had been built at the onset of the reign of the first Imperious Leader. He had been the pride of his time, then, and had been given his base star as a promotion for what the Imperious Leader had called "logical action beyond the call of duty." If Shadow could have smiled, he would have. He knew that the compliment was merely the Imperious Leader's diplomatic way of stating that he was different. He possessed the ability to appreciate the "illogical" actions of humans and other organic life forms.

Shadow knew he was merely a well programmed machine, with an innate understanding of illogic, as well as logic.

He stepped through the sliding hatch into the command center and stopped before a tall golden Centurion.

"Report, Kadal," he said in a smooth accented voice.

The golden head turned slightly to face him and the deep droning voice thundered.

"Base Ship four twenty two has been destroyed."

"Indeed?" asked Shadow, his upturned lip lights flashing in time with his speech, indicating amusement. "How?"

"Telemetry indicates that it was destroyed by unknown fighter craft." Kadal reported.

"Show me," Shadow commanded, and he turned to the view screen.

The image flickered for a micron and then showed the doomed Base ship's perspective of the attack.

Four ships approached with turbos blazing, apparently on a suicide run. He stared at the craft, feeling slightly confused. Running a check in his own memory bank, he did not recognize the strange configuration.

The four ships fired missiles from beneath their wings and then fanned up and away from the ship in parade style formation, with the telemetry of the Base Ship showing laser turrets tracking them. Then the image vibrated violently as the missiles struck their target, and behind that….

"Well, well," Shadow cooed, seeing the al too familiar tri winged profile of a squadron of Colonial Vipers. They came in, with no resistance, firing orange lances of energy into the dying ship. The image flickered and then vanished in a wall of static.

Shadow turned back to Kadal. "Those ships were obviously of Colonial manufacture, Kadal." He said. He backed up the recording and settled on a view that allowed a bottom profile of the other anomalous craft. Centering on one, he magnified and enhanced the image, showing the clearly Colonial markings.

The ship was slightly larger than the standard Viper, and had twin engines instead of the regular triple engines.

"I want you to do a search on variants of Colonial design," he ordered. "Find out what type of craft this is."

"By your command," Kadal droned.

"And set course for the site of the battle. I want to find the Galactica myself. Deliver your report to me as soon as it is compiled."

Again, Kadal droned. "By your command."

Shadow stepped away from the monitor and moved towards the exit.

"Poor Darnos," he said, as if to himself. "Then again, he never was very imaginative." He left the command center chuckling to himself.

"Come on Starbuck," Apollo asked, looking over and watching the other Viper next to him. "You haven't said more than three words since we launched."

He and Starbuck were on, yet another of their long patrols.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," said Starbuck.

"Yeah?" Apollo asked. "What about?"

"Well," Starbuck started, then he stopped. "I don't know. Athena-"

"Hold on a micron, buddy," said Apollo. "You're not still sore at her are you?"

"No," said Starbuck defensively. "What are you talking about?"

Apollo smiled. His sister, Athena was a member of the new Black Raptor Squadron. She had gained the post by defeating Starbuck in a simulator competition. It hadn't been the fact that he had lost, but in the sheer brutality Athena had shown in beating him.

In the contest, Athena had veritably taken Starbuck apart, piece by piece until he had been forced to surrender.

"You know what I'm talking about," said Apollo. "She's becoming one of the best pilots in the fleet."

"Yeah," said Starbuck. "But that's good. It takes some of the pressure off of me."

"Felgercarb," said Apollo. "I know how you feel about flying. You want to be the best, and the only one considered the best."

"So?" Starbuck replied. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," said Apollo. "Unless you have competition."

"Look, buddy," said Starbuck. "You know that there's nothing I like more than good competition. It's not that it's-" his voice trailed off.

Apollo's eyebrows rose slightly, and he glanced over at his friends ship.

"Starbuck?" he asked. "Are you regretting something?"

"No!" Starbuck said quickly. "I mean, yes. I don't know. I'm happy with Cassiopeia and all, and I know she cares about me, but at the same time I just-" His voice trailed off again.

"I think you're just scared of committing," Apollo said. "That was why you went after Aurora when Cassy got too close. That was why you went after Cassy, when you and Athena got to close. Never mind Nodai, and Miriam, and-"

"I get your point," Starbuck cut him off.

Apollo smiled, glancing down at his scanner.

"Well," he said. "Looks like this sector is clear. Time to head back."

Starbuck gave a grunt, and the two Vipers rolled smoothly over, their turbos flaring to life as they turned for home.

"Tell you what," said Apollo. "Why don't you take a furlon when we get back. Take some time and think about things. Figure out exactly what you want, and then go after it. No more games."

"What?" asked Starbuck. "Where's the fun in that?"

"You'd be surprised," said Apollo. His mind drifted to Sheba, and he smiled in spite of himself. "If you find someone you're good with, the surprises don't ever stop."

"Maybe," said Starbuck.

The two ships slicing through the void were large and black, shaped like savage birds of prey.

At the controls, Athena checked her scanner and looked over at the other Raptor that accompanied her.

Captain Milesar and his R.O. or Recon Officer, Rega, sat relaxed as their ship coasted through space.

"How you doing back there, Backis?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Just fine," Backis' gentle voice replied. "Nothing more challenging than staring at a blank scanner screen."

"How's you fuel, you two?" Captain Milesar's voice rang through their com system.

"Holding up pretty well, Captain," said Backis as he checked the gauges.

"Well," said Milesar. "We have enough fuel to take it a little further, if you're up to it?"

After four centars, what's one more? Athena thought to herself. Then she keyed her mic.

"No problem, Captain," she replied. "But it'll cost you an extra drink at the Officers Club."

Milesar's chuckle came through the speakers. "Fine," he said. "We'll call it overtime."

The two Raptors broke in a new direction.

"So," Rega asked casually. "Since Backis is sealed and all, have you thought about who you're going to the party with?"

"Why, Rega?" Asked Athena. "Are you making a proposition?"

"No," said Rega. "I'm making conversation. So, have you thought about it?"

Athena shook her head, smiling. "Well, I thought bringing myself would be enough. I could always hire one of those Saggitarian male escorts?"

"Oh, Hades no!" said Backis. "Those guys drink half a party out of house and home, and they do nothing for me!"

"That's because you're not a woman," Athena said mischievously.

"I thank the lords of Kobol for that, every day," said Backis. Then he continued.

"Come on, Boss. There has to be someone you'd want to bring?"

Athena shook her head. "Sorry, boys. I'm not in the market for a man right now."

"Athena," said Milesar. "One of these days, some guy is gonna walk into your life and sweep you right off your feet."

"Maybe," said Athena. "When I'm ready to let one, then it'll happen."

"Yeah, right," said Rega. "When it happens, and it WILL happen, I'm willing to bet that you don't see it coming until your already caught."

"Then I'll just have to keep my eyes open," said Athena resolutely. A relationship was the last thing on her mind. She had far too much going on, being second in command of the Black Raptors. It was a job that required a lot of her personal attention.

The Galactica slowly made its way through the blackness, followed by the myriad of ships in the fleet. On the bridge of the mighty carrier, Commander Adama stood erect and proud, staring down at the monitor and watching the progress of the ships under his care. He turned his eyes to his second in command.

Colonel Tigh, his coffee colored skin shining slightly in the lights of the bridge, looked back at him and shrugged.

"I feel strange saying this, Adama, but there's nothing out of the ordinary to report."

"A pleasant feeling, isn't it?" Adama replied, a smile touching the corners of his lips.

At his station, Flight Officer Omega turned to face the commanding officers.

"All the patrols have reported in," he said. "We are clear ahead and astern for a minimum of four sectors."

"The extended range of the new Raptors is helping out a great deal," said Adama. Then he turned back to Colonel Tigh. "Very well. Supervise the retrieval of our patrols and maintain current status. I'll be in my quarters for some much needed rest."

"Of course Commander," said Tigh.

As Adama descended the steps from the command station, Tigh stepped forward quickly.

"By the way," he said. "Doctor Salek told me to remind you that you're due for your regular physical. He wanted me to make certain you hadn't forgotten." Tigh smiled slightly, knowing that his friend hated these routine checkups.

Adama looked at him for a micron and then nodded. "Thank you Colonel." He said.

"Shall I schedule the appointment for you, Commander?" Tigh asked, knowing in advance what the response would be.

"I'll see to it, Colonel. Thank you." Adama replied, not looking back.

Tigh's smile widened. "Blazes you will," he said. Then he returned to his duties.

The Cylon Base ship hovered before the shattered remains of its counterpart. Sections of plasteen sheeting, burnt and peeled alloys and pieces of centurions floated in the chaos.

Shadow stood at the observation port of his own ship looking out at the remains.

"My, my," he said to himself. "Darnos probably never knew what hit him." He watched as a shattered centurion's torso bounced harmlessly against his ships' shields, leaving a pale blue coronal flash.

With a hiss of released gasses, Kadal strode into the room. He stopped a respectful distance from his superior.

Shadow did not turn, his bouncing sensor lights still taking in the destruction around him.

"Report, Kadal," he finally sighed.

"Our patrols have located the Battlestar Galactica," Kadal intoned.

"Indeed?" Shadow said, his upturned lip lights flashing with amusement. "How far away is she?"

"Six, point three two hectars distant and still withdrawing," Kadal droned. "We can easily overtake them."

Shadow stepped away from the viewport, and away from the carnage beyond it.

"I'm sure," Shadow said, the amused tone thickening in his voice. "And what should we do, once we catch them?"

Kadal replied immediately. "Attack and destroy them."

If Shadow had eyebrows and real eyes he would have rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"You centurions are so limited in your ability to appreciate the subtleties of the human mind," he said. He moved for the exit, then turned to face his lieutenant.

"Have our ship move to pursue," he instructed. "But stay well beyond her scanner range. Have our fighters patrol ahead far enough to confirm the location and heading of the trailing vessels in the fleet. No further."

"You do not wish our fighters to engage the Galactica?" Kadal droned.

"Not yet," Shadow mused. "Carry out your orders."

"By your command," Kadal droned, and he turned and left.

The music was loud the lights garishly bright and flashing beneath the transparent surface of the gaming table, the crowds were boisterous. People darting to and fro, drinking, eating, smoking, all dressed in a myriad of colors and styles, representing every culture from the colonies.

The atmosphere was just the way Starbuck liked it. Plenty of people being free with their money and time.

He lifted the edge of the cards and smiled, his fumarello sending up a continuous wisp of sweet smelling smoke.

"Build me," he said, looking up at the dealer with a knowing look and his trademark grin.

The dealer set one hexagonal card down on the table, then set one down for each of the other three players. Two gentlemen folded and sat back, while Starbuck and the third player, a fashionably dressed older lady looked at each other.

Starbuck gave her a friendly wink, and then looked down at the neat little stacks of golden cubits in front of him. He deliberately began setting stack after stack forward, into the betting circle. The move elicited gasps of astonishment from the assembling group of people.

"I'll hover with these," Starbuck said confidently.

The other remaining player set her bet out and nodded, and the dealer threw her last card.

A collective gasp rose from the surrounding spectators as Starbuck collected his winnings by the narrowest of margins.

He smiled and scooped the large pile of cubits, hiding the nervous adrenaline rush from the near loss.

"Still playing those long shots, are you?" came a wizened voice behind him.

Starbuck smiled in recognition as he turned around.

"Hello Chameleon," he said, grasping the older mans forearm.

"Hello, son," said Chameleon, his bright blue eyes sparkling. He measured Starbucks winnings with a knowing eye. "Looks like you're doing fairly well tonight."

Starbuck took a long drag on his fumarello. "Yup, I've got a real good hot streak going here."

"How many hands have you won?" Chameleon asked, his eyebrows rising, wrinkling the skin on his forehead.

Starbuck shrugged. "Eight, nine, I don't know."

"Then you're due," said Chameleon. "Come on. You can buy me a drink or two." He grasped the younger man's forearm, and pulled him in fatherly fashion from the table.

"Wait a centon," Starbuck stammered. His head swiveled back and forth between Chameleon and the amused card dealer.

"Hold on a centon, I'll be right back….Chameleon, wait….I'll be right back….Chameleon…" he sighed. "Watch my cubits," he said to the dealer, and he gave up the game of tug-o-war with the older man.

Chameleon led Starbuck to the bar, and settled onto the stool, his eyes looking at Starbuck with a knowing gaze.

"What?" asked Starbuck, his shoulders shrugging slightly.

"I was just wondering what you were doing out here, while you're not scheduled for a furlon for some time, if I remember correctly?" Chameleon rambled slightly, his eyes drifting towards the ceiling, as if thinking to himself.

Starbuck smiled. "Apollo told me to take a couple of days and figure things out," he confessed.

"Really?" asked Chameleon. "What sort of things?"

As if on queue, a small group of four or five warriors entered the casino, all of them wearing the insignia of the Black Raptors. A few other newcomers followed, wearing slightly different insignia. Theirs were the image of a red claw on a gray field. The Gray Talons, Galactica's latest Raptor squadron.

Starbuck looked past Chameleon's shoulder and saw Backis, Brie, a couple of other warriors that he didn't know, and Athena. His eyes fixed on her, watching her smiling and laughing as she socialized with the other members of her squadron.

Her flight partner, Backis, stood besides her, filling in gaps in the conversation, his hand resting casually on Athena's shoulder.

IF there was one thing that unnerved Starbuck over everything else, it was the sight of an ex, in the company of another. He didn't understand why it disturbed him so much, but it did. Now, with the camaraderie that was formed between the two person flight teams of the Raptor Fighters, he was seeing it all the time where Athena was concerned, and it bothered him.

Chameleon looked at Starbuck, then over at the small crowd of brown jackets, spying Athena. Then he looked back at his son. He saw the look in Starbuck's eyes and nodded.

"Ohhhh," he said. "Those sorts of things."

"Hmm?" asked Starbuck, his eyes popping back to Chameleon. "Oh, no, nothing like that. I just have a lot on my mind, and, well….you know," he trailed off.

"No, Starbuck, I don't," Chameleon pressed gently. In actuality, he knew just about everything. He knew about Apollo and Starbucks conversation while on patrol. He knew about Starbuck being on the Rising Star. He also knew that Apollo had sent Starbuck on furlon when he had, because Athena and the rest of the Black Raptors were on their regular furlon. All that was left was to tie everything together, so Apollo had contacted Chameleon, and convinced the old man to confront Starbuck as a friend. Apollo, Starbuck and everyone else, with the exception of Cassiopeia, still did not know that Chameleon was really Starbuck's biological father. That secret had been kept at Chameleons request, so Starbuck could continue to focus on his own life. Instead, Chameleon had assumed the roll of friend and confidant, which suited him just fine. He could be a father, without "being a father" and maintain a comfort zone for Starbuck. Allowing his son to remain at ease with him during trying times.

Now, the elderly, former con-artist, assumed the roll of curious, but uninformed confidant.

"Well," said Starbuck uneasily. "I've just been doing a lot of thinking," he said. "About the past. Regrets, that sort of thing." His eyes kept darting from Chameleon to Athena standing on the other side of the room.

"I thought you were happy?" said Chameleon, feigning shock. "That you and Cassiopeia were doing alright-"

"We are." Starbuck said, almost defensively.

"But?" Chameleon said, rolling one hand forward as his other reached for a glass of ambrosia.

"I don't know," said Starbuck. "I mean, I love Cassiopeia, don't get me wrong. She's a great girl. And she's confident in ways I've never seen in other women-"

Chameleon smiled. "Are you trying to convince me? Or yourself?"

"No, no. Nothing like that, honest," Starbuck said seriously. "I don't need to convince myself that Cassy's a great girl. It's just that, well, I wonder sometimes where I'd be if I had stayed with someone else…" His voice trailed off as he stared at Athena again.

Chameleon looked over towards the other warriors for the sake of not smiling on front of his son.

"He's definitely mine," he thought. Then he composed his face and turned back to Starbuck. "You certainly have a thing for picking out beautiful women," he complimented, and then he purposely pointed towards Brie.

Starbuck began to nod, and then stopped.

"Not her," he said. "Her." He pointed at Athena just as she looked up and spied him and Chameleon at the bar. Starbuck felt as if a Cylon had just locked onto him and shot him down. He was caught. He let his other fingers uncurl, trying to casually change his point to a friendly wave. A smile creasing his face. It was not one of friendly greeting. It was the face of a man caught in the act.

"Frack," he muttered.

Chameleon joined Starbuck in the greeting and the two men turned back to their conversation.

"She's a very lovely young lady," said Chameleon. "How long did you two – " he finished with a gesture.

"A few yahrens," said Starbuck. "After the destruction of the colonies, everything just sort of- you know."

"You said something, or did something that you regretted?" asked Chameleon.

"I think we both said a few things," said Starbuck. "Then I met up with Cass, and I got so caught up in how she made me feel that I – " He stopped. "Before I knew it, we were a "couple", and I didn't even see it coming. Then the other ladies, like Aurora and Nodai, and –"

Chameleon held up his hands to stop the rambling young man.

"Starbuck," he said gently. "I have no doubt that you are a very passionate young man. You are passionate about everything you do, from flying a Viper, to playing Pyramid, and loving women. You might even be better at those things than I was at your age?" He shrugged. "The bottom line, son, is that you have to grow up eventually."

"You mean, make a decision and stick with it," said Starbuck, nodding.

"I mean," said Chameleon, his bright blue eyes fixing on Starbuck. "Get your head out of your ass, young man."

He looked about as if someone else might have overheard the statement, then he looked back at a shocked and dumbstruck Starbuck. Starbucks mouth opened and shut, but no words came out.

Chameleon leaned forward. "I don't mean to hurt your feelings by being so forward. But you've graduated the academy. You've survived a holocaust, and you've become one of the best warriors in the fleet. Now it's time for you to make a decision that you can trust, not live with. Believe me, you can "live with" anyone. It's that one special person that brings meaning to every micron of your existence. That's what you want to find. You want to find the person you'd be willing to live for, as well as live with."

He looked at Starbuck for a long micron, his forefingers coming together to press up under his bottom lip in thought.

"You had that once," he said, studying Starbuck's face. "Didn't you?"

"I thought I did," said Starbuck. His eyes still wandered over towards Athena.

Chameleon smiled gently. "Apollo sent you on furlon to think. That's what he meant when he told you to go. Take some time and think about it," he said. "Not to play games. So think, and find out who you want to live for, then go after them."

Starbuck nodded, and then he stopped, looking at Chameleon.

"Wait a centon," he said suspiciously. "How do you know what Apollo said?"

Chameleon rolled his eyes in a helpless gesture of innocence that brought a smile to Starbucks lips.

"Why do I feel like the victim of some sort of conspiracy?" he asked.

"I have no idea what you mean," Chameleon said theatrically. Then he looked at Starbuck seriously. "Apollo cares about you, and so do I. You're changing, though you refuse to see it. Everyone else around you notices a different look in your eyes.

Figure out who it is that occupies your heart the most, and then go after her, no matter what may face you."

"No matter what, huh?" asked Starbuck.

"No matter what!" Chameleon repeated with emphasis.

"What was that all about?" asked Backis, as he surreptitiously watched the exchange between Starbuck and his companion.

Athena shook her head. "I don't know." She answered honestly. Then she turned back to the others. "Well, let's get everything set up."

The group cleared an area making ready for a party as the rest of the Black Raptors and Gray Talons arrived.

Captain Milesar was the last one to arrive. He jogged in, and called everyone around.

"They'll be here in a couple of centons," he said. "Everything ready?"

"All set," said Athena, as a waiter brought a large tray, laden with cakes, and mushies. The waiter set the tray down on the table and withdrew, while a second on set several bottles of ale and ambrosia around the trays.

Jodas stood impatiently while his wife, Zera, fixed her hair and makeup staring at one of the mirror smooth support pylons in the Rising Star's shuttle lounge.

"You look fine, Zera," Jodas said impatiently.

Zera turned and stared at him with fiery blue eyes. "At ease, Colonel," she said. "This'll just take a micron."

She finished primping, mentally counting out enough time for Milesar to get to the casino and have everyone set.

She finally turned and faced her husband.

"There," she said. "All ready. Come one."

She hooked her arm under his and half walked, half dragged him towards the casino.

"Why don't we just go home and have a nice quiet dinner?" Jodas suggested.

"No," said Zera, her blonde hair bouncing as she walked. "I want to have fun."

"Everyone else gets to do what they want on their birthdays," said Jodas. He stopped, causing his wife to jerk back, spinning her around into his arms. "Why don't I?"

"Oh, stop it," she said, a smile beginning to show on her face. "It's only for a few centars, then we can go home." She batted her eyes at him, bringing a smile to his face.

"Let's go home now," Jodas suggested, trying desperately to get out of the situation.

Her face changed in an instant from subtle seduction, to annoyance.

"I want us to have fun, Colonel," she said sharply. "Then we'll have other fun at home." She reached up and kissed his cheek. "I promise," she whispered. Then she gave him a sharp tug in the direction of the casino.

"Now, come on!" she ordered.

She and Jodas rounded a corner and a burst of cheers erupted from the other people assembled.

Jodas froze, seeing the members of the Black Raptors and Gray Talons, glasses raised, or clapping, and each one with a broad smile on their faces.

Zera was laughing with glee as Jodas turned his face away, an embarrassed smile on his face.

"Oh, no," he muttered, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

Athena and Brie stepped up and each one planted a kiss on Jodas's cheeks.

"Happy birthday, Colonel," said Athena, and she laughed with glee.

Jodas turned to the assembled crowd and shrugged, a smile creasing his face.

"This is really stupid," he said, but he didn't believe it, any more than the rest of the squadron did. He looked at his wife with a "you will pay" stare and then resigned himself to the fact that, come hell or high water, he was going to have a good time.

Adama sat at his desk, reading one of the many books from the shelves behind him. His wall com chimed, and he quickly hid the book and spread the papers out on his desk.

"Yes?" he asked after quickly composing himself.

The slightly round face of Doctor Salek appeared on the twin monitors in the wall.

"Yes, Doctor?" Adama asked casually.

"Commander," Doctor Salek said, his usually gruff voice taking on a more aggressive tone. "Are you aware that you are due for your annual physical?"

"Yes, Doctor," Adama said, shuffling through the papers. "Colonel Tigh has informed me."

"Then I can assume that you will be here, in the Life Center, after your duty period?" Salek pressed.

"Unfortunately, I'm incredibly busy, Doctor," Adama said. "Perhaps I can schedule it for another time?"

Salek's face seemed to darken with impatience.

"Adama," he said. "You and I both know how you really feel about these things. I call your office all the time, and this is the only time your desk vanishes under a deluge of paper. Now, you can come down here of your own accord, or I can relieve you of your command and order you down here. The choice is yours."

Adama looked down at the paperwork on his desk and then back up into the stern face of his doctor. The feeling of being a child, caught lying, seemed to wash through him.

He gave Salek a stern look.

"Perhaps if you would work on your bedside manner," he said. "Then I wouldn't find these things so bad?"

"Commander," Salek began, and Adama knew he was about to say "the words".

"All right, Doctor," Adama raised his hands in surrender. "You don't need to relieve me. I'll be down shortly."

"You have fifteen centons," said Salek, his eyes drifting down to his chrono. "Then I send out a security detail to find you."

"I understand, Doctor," said Adama. Salek nodded, and signed off with a humph.

Adama counted five microns before rising to his feet and tucking his book under one arm.

If he left now, he could be on the Rising Star, lost in a crowd before Salek could make good on his threat. He smiled at his own cleverness. He couldn't be relieved of command if the Doctor couldn't find him and say "the words".

The door hissed open and Adama stood there, the smile slowly fading from his face.

"Why, hello Commander," Cassiopeia said demurely. She stood, leaning casually against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest, her blue eyes flashing him a knowing look. "I see you're on your way to the Life Center. Mind if I accompany you?"

Adama stiffened as the young woman hooked her arm under his.

"Are you afraid I'll get lost?" he asked, trying to hide his annoyance.

"Terrified of it," Cassiopeia answered, playfully snuggling Adama's shoulder. As they walked.

He sighed with resignation. Salek had beaten him. He resigned himself to the fact that he was not going to be able to find a way out. In the back of his mind, he prayed to the lords of Kobol for a red alert.

Kadal entered the cavernous central chamber, and found Shadow waiting quietly. In the center, staring down at a ring of monitors. Unlike most command Cylons, he had decided to have his Centurions dismantle the towering platform that held the traditional command seat, opting for something simpler.

"By your command," Kadal droned.

Shadow looked up from his displays.

"Report," he said.

"Our patrols have identified the trailing vessels of the colonial fleet," Kadal said. "They turned back before being discovered."

"Were our fighters able to confirm the Colonial Fleets course and heading?" Shadow asked expectantly.

"Affirmative," Kadal answered.

Shadow entered a series of commands and then motioned the golden centurion to join him at the console. He stared at the red blips that indicated the Colonial Fleet, his hand tapping on the display as he mused.

"I want you to set a speed course to this point," he instructed, his robed hand sweeping in a wide arc around to a position in front of the Galactica and her fleet. "Position us so that we remain out of range for both the Galactica and her fighter patrols."

"You do not wish to engage them?" asked Kadal.

"Oh, I do," said Shadow, his upturned lip lights flashing. "Once we are in position, I want you to match the Galactica's speed and heading, keeping up in front of her. Then launch our fighters into the estimated patrol routes of her fighters. Once our fighters reach the positions I will assign them, they are to power down and wait for the patrol ships to pass them, then ambush them from behind. The colonial vipers will have two choices. Fly further away from the Galactica until they run out of fuel, and die. Or die quickly." He chuckled in amusement. "We will first whittle down their defenses, and then we will attack the fleet."

"By your command," said Kadal. The golden centurion turned and headed towards the transparent doors of the dimly lit chamber.

"Kadal," Shadow called out.

The centurion stopped and turned back to face its commander.

"Make certain that the pilots understand. There MUST be no survivors from the colonial patrols. I want Adama to wonder what is ahead of him. By the time he figures it out, the Galactica and her humans will be mine."

"By your command," Kadal said again.

Shadow turned back to his displays. In his mind, he realized that the simple truth was, the Imperious Leader, the late Darnos, and even Baltar lacked one vital ingredient in winning conflicts. They lacked patience, as well as the flexibility to creatively produce strategy. That had been their undoing. Darnos had been ill prepared to anticipate the uncouth tactics of the new colonial craft, and The Imperious Leader had been fooled by a ruse, while Baltar, though still alive, was constantly in need of replacement weapons and ships because of his two dimensional thinking. 

It would not be so with him. He had the necessary "glitch" that allowed him more freedom of thought, and creativity. Now he planned to use all his mechanical wits to bring about the greatest victory in the history of the Cylon Empire.

Adama stood on the bridge, his face set in stone as he watched the monitor. His face was a mask of grim resolution. In the early cycles of the secton, he had begun to lose patrol ships.

"Omega," he said into his headset mic. "Patrol status, please?"

After a few microns, Omega answered.

"Red Squadron patrols one and seven, still unaccounted for. Blue squadron three and four, also unaccounted for, and Silver Spar squadron patrol four, also unaccounted for."

"Tigh?" Adama turned to his second in command.

Colonel Tigh checked his wrist computer. "If they were using turbos, they'd have powered down almost half a centar ago." His voice was filled with grim resolution.

Adama shook his head. "Were there any signals from the missing ships?"

Omega shook his head. "A few scrambled communications attempts, commander, but that was all."

Adama sighed. "Ten lives, lost, including Jolly and Greenbean, Det and Dietra."

"I'm afraid so, Commander," Tigh replied. "We could launch a shuttle probe?"

Adama nodded. "Have Colonel Jodas report to my office immediately." He stepped from the command station and left the bridge.

Twenty-four teams of pilots sat in the crowded amphitheater style briefing room as the hatch slid open. Instantly, every pilot and RO stood at attention.

"Be seated," Jodas barked as he walked into the room. The men and women of the Black Raptors and the Gray Talons slid into their seats.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen," Jodas said, standing off to the side of the hollow display, his hands clasping behind his back as he scanned the faces in the room.

"Up to this point, the Raptor has been utilized as a long range strike, and support aircraft," Jodas said, a gleam in his eye. "All of that is about to change."

A low murmur rippled through the assembled pilots.

"As of this micron, you two groups of people have been upgraded to primary patrol status." Said Jodas. He pressed a button on the table and a holo of the surrounding area materialized on the white wall behind the Colonel. Then a series of red dots appeared.

"The Red, Blue, and Silver Spar people have been getting chewed to pieces over the last half secton. We've lost a lot of good people, ten today alone."

Athena glanced up, behind her, at Brie, who sat with a numbed look in her eyes. She had just learned that her friend, Dietra, was one of the pilots who were missing, presumed dead. 

Brie's eyes were red rimmed from crying, and she had her lips clenched tight as she watched the briefing.

"Now," said Jodas sharply. "I know that each and every one of you people had friends and acquaintances in the other squadrons, and the desire to get even runs high. Here's the reality of it, however. We don't know who our enemy is. We are going to assume the role of scout for the duration, extending our patrol range according to the Raptors fuel capacity. We will be patrolling the areas last explored by the previous Viper patrols. These areas are considered hot zones. Extremely hostile. Should you be spotted, assume hostile intent and go weapons hot immediately." He stepped back around the table, looking over the men and women in front of him.

"Now, I want you to understand this, people," he said. "These are recon patrols! The reason for the recon patrol is to assure the safety of our people and our ships. This will not be accomplished if you go out there with the intention of single handedly wiping out the forces of evil in the galaxy. 

If you come under attack, you are to immediately return to the home base. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES will you engage the enemy in prolonged battle! Is that perfectly crystal clear?"

In one voice, all forty-eight men and women in the room barked "Yes Colonel!"

"Very well," said Jodas. "Congratulations ladies and gentlemen, you are now the proud protectors of humanities remains." He stepped to the table and switched off the holo.

The image died as Jodas lifted a stack of papers.

"When you hear your team, step up and get your patrol schedules…"

Athena and Backis sat at ease, in the cockpit of their Raptor, watching as the panorama of stars slowly moved around them.

"Anything?" asked Athena.

"Nothing concrete," said Backis, focusing on the small monitors in his control console. "Electro magnetic interference is a bit higher than usual, but that's it."

"What's on your mind, Athena?" Brie asked from her ship.

"I don't know," said Athena, unconsciously biting on her lower lip. In the back of her mind, a silent alarm bell was beginning to sound. Her eyes scanned her own consoles, intent on seeing…something?"

"What is it?" asked Backis. "Come on Athena. You're holding out on us."

"What?" Athena snapped out of her reverie. That nagging sensation refused to leave her. 

As the two Raptors soared on through the blackness, the alarm klaxon in Athena's head continued to rise in pitch.

Off in the distance, silent as death, hung six powered down Cylon Raiders. In the foremost ship, the flight lead centurion watched the two shining points of light.

"Scan for identification," he ordered. The Centurion in front of him, to his right, checked the scanners.

"Unknown configuration," he reported a micron later. "Markings suggest Colonial design."

"Stand by to intercept," the command centurion droned.

The blue white engine exhausts of the Cylon warships slowly came to life with their characteristic howl.

The command flight centurion watched the two points as they continued on their path.

"Ten microns," he ordered. "Arm weapons."

"Activate defense shields," Athena barked suddenly, as the alarm bells went from a quiet ring to a full-blown clamor.

"But-" Backis started.

"Do it!" Athena hissed.

"Hey!" came Justi's voice. "Where did they come from?"

Justi was Brie's somewhat naïve and childlike R.O. Her fingers bounced across the tiny keypad as she focused in on the incoming ships. The form scan read back and she looked up, behind them.

"Cylons!" She shouted.

At the same micron, the six raiders sprung their trap, their blue laser bolts sizzling after the retreating Raptors.

One stray bolt connected with the shields on Athena's ship. The ship bounced, but was undamaged.

"Break out of it!" Athena called out

The two Raptors split in opposite directions, a completely unexpected tactic for standard Colonial fighter craft. The maneuver caused the Cylons to hesitate a micron before choosing their target. The six ships also split off, three after each Raptor.

"Malon Flight leader to base," the command Centurion called. "We have intercepted two Colonial fighter craft in quadrant Otaarsis."

Then he looked down at the gunner Centurion in the right forward seat. 

"Commence firing."

Athena rolled the Raptor away from the trio of ships as they all opened fire on her at the same time.

"Talk to me Backis!" she called out.

"They're still back there!" Backis replied, his head craned over his shoulder, watching the three approaching Cylons as they scattered lethal blue bolts through space.

Athena whipped the Raptor to one side, turning her head to catch a glimpse the three Cylon Raiders behind her.

"Okay!" she called. "I got em!"

She leveled out, and hit the reverse thrusters. The ship shot backwards through the trio of attacking ships.

Athena jammed down on the stick, using a maneuver she had done before in the simulator. Her ship shuddered as two of the three Raiders passed. She pressed the fire button and the third Cylon ship erupted just in front of the Raptors nose. The exploding fragments bounced against the shields throwing white coronas of energy off into the void.

Her ship finished its suicidal maneuver and then rocketed off in a different direction.

"Are we clear?" she asked as she blinked, focusing her eyes. Backis said nothing.

"Hey!" Athena shouted.

"Y-yeah," came Backis's weak reply. He fought off the wave of dizziness from the unexpected maneuver. He watched the two other Cylon fighters as they wheeled away in a long arc so they could regroup and jump back into the fray.

Athena looked the other direction and spied Brie and Justi, with three Cylons on their tail.

"Hang on Brie!" Athena shouted, turning the ship towards them. She switched over to the missile system, arming the new solonite missiles under her wing. She watched the cross hairs center on one of the targets. A loud tone reverberated through the cramped cockpit.

The missile rocketed away from the Raptor's wing, a few microns later a second missile detached and plummeted after its target, and then a third.

In rapid succession, the three raiders pursuing Brie and Justi began to detonate struck from above by the explosive missiles.

"Whoa!" Justi cried out as a pair of blue bolts sizzled past her head, just before the forward most fighter erupted in a ball of flame and expanding gasses.

Brie kicked her ship over, and looked about.

"Thanks Athena!" she called out.

"No problem!" Athena replied. "Break off and return to base!"

The two Raptors kicked their turbos in and rocketed away from the fight, leaving the two remaining Cylon fighters to pursue in vain before being recalled.

Kadal entered the central command chamber and found Shadow standing at his usual place amidst his circle of monitoring equipment.

The large golden centurion stopped in a circle of light placed a respectful distance from his commander.

"By your command," he droned in his deep mechanical voice.

"Report," Shadow said with a tone that indicated boredom.

Kadal hesitated for a micron, prompting Shadow to raise his bouncing eye sensors towards his second in command.

"Kadal," He repeated. "Report."

"Malon Flight Leader reports encountering a pair of unknown Colonial fighter craft," Kadal said.

"The two ships were destroyed?" Shadow asked.

"Negative."

"What?" Shadow all but screamed. "I thought your centurions would have taken them by surprise? Was this not the case?"

"Malon Flight Leader reported attacking the Colonial ships from behind," Kadal said. "Apparently, the Colonial fighter craft used tactics and weapons that were unfamiliar to the patrol. Four Raiders were destroyed before the Colonial fighters escaped."

"Pity," Shadow said, his voice taking on a sad tone. He motioned for the golden centurion to approach. Then he gestured to a read out on one of the monitors.

"Malon Flight was positioned here," he stated, indicating a red dot on the screen. "Therefore, I would expect Adama to send a force patrol in this direction." He drew a line with his midnight blue finger, passing very close to where his ship was.

"Therefore," Shadow continued. "Take our ship around, this way, like so." He pointed to a new section on the scanner, on the opposite side of the fleet's projected path.

"Position our ship here, in direct field of Adama's best possible escape route."

Then Shadow paused for a micron as his processor ran an algorithm. Then he looked back at Kadal. "Have a radiation pod dropped at this location. Then order a phalanx of fighters to create a corridor around it. I want to plan a surprise for the Colonial's."

"By your command," Kadal said. Shadow waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, and the giant gold centurion retired to his duties.

"I should have realized," Adama sighed after listening to Athena and Brie's report. "Cylons must have really spread themselves thin to catch us."

"With the placement of the skirmish zone," said Tigh. "We have a pretty good idea where their base ship would be. We could attack them and take the base ship out."

Adama looked up at his old friend and second in command.

"Did I just hear you correctly?' he asked.

"Adama," Tigh said. "We saw what happened when four Raptors and Blue Squadron engaged a base ship. They were able to destroy it in a matter of a few centons. If we send two squadrons, that base ship would be gone in even less time."

Adama looked up at Tigh, desire and caution playing over his face. Then he looked over at the figure seated on the couch below the window.

"What do you think, Colonel?" He asked Jodas, as the man reclined deeper into the cushions, his brows furrowed in thought.

Jodas nodded. "I think we could take it out. I've trained the Gray Talons in the tactic that Athena came up with during the last skirmish. We could send the Gray Talons fly a long distance strike against the ship. We'll hold the black Raptors back as support."

"What about Viper protection?" asked Tigh. Jodas shook his head.

"This base ship is too far out of range," He said. "The Gray Talons should be able to handle this one."

"And the Cylon fighters?" asked Adama. 

"Right now, that ship is lightly defended," said Jodas. He stood up and stepped over tot he monitor showing the point where Brie and Athena had their battle.

"The Cylons pulled their Fighters out away from the ship, then had them power down so they wouldn't be detected. That's the only way our ships wouldn't be able to find their targets until it was too late. They sit, dead in space, wait for our boys to pass them, then jump them from behind, putting themselves between the patrol and the Galactica. The pilots of those ships are then forced to run a gauntlet." He let his hands drop from the monitor and sighed. "Until today, no one passed."

Then he stepped forward. "If their ships are hanging out there, waiting. That means they won't communicate for a specified number of centons, or until they make contact with one of our patrols. That also means they won't know when their own base ship is under attack!"

The debate went back and forth for a while longer until Adama granted permission for the strike.

The Gray Talons were in space, fifteen centons later, screaming through the void and hungry for their first Cylon base ship.

In the launching bay, The Black Raptors sat in their ships, engines at idle, listening on the com frequency. At the first sign of trouble, they would launch and rocket to support the Gray Talons.

Athena sat back in her seat, her eyes closed as she visualized the situation while listening to the radio chatter.

Suddenly, the mood of the conversation became more serious. Her head snapped forward as she concentrated on the myriad of voices.

"Talon Leader, this is five, I have six ships on intercept course……….Copy, five. Go weapons hot. Defense shields up……..Do we have an I.D. on the incoming?…….Copy seven, they're Cylons all right…….Roger three, weapons up………Check! Check! Here they come!…….Talon leader to squad, break and attack! Wingmen, stick to your leaders!…….Wax one! Wax one!……I see it four, nice shot…….Watch your back nine, fighters above you, coming in!…..Copy, get the snitrad off me!……..Got him nine. That's two!…..Third target down!……Nice move, six…….Leader, looks like they're making a run for it!….. Copy two, they're heading the same direction as we are. Pursue and destroy……..Copy, Lead!"

Athena sat in nervous silence as she waited for the next wave. The next would be the attack on the base ship. She turned the gain up on the com as the signal began to get weak.

"Gray Talons to Galactica, We have no contact with target! Repeat, no contact with target! Requesting instructions……..Talons, scan the area and see if you can pick up the trail……Copy base."

Adama stood on the bridge, with Jodas and Tigh flanking him on either side, watching the progress on the scanner monitor.

"Something's wrong here," said Jodas. Stepping closer to the monitor, he saw it flare up suddenly. Quickly he keyed the com. "Talons? What the blazes was that?"

"Unknown," came the static filled reply. "Some sort of radon field that just blinded our sensors."

A numb dread filled Jodas's gut. "Talons! Get the hell out of there! It's an ambush!"

But it was already too late.

"Alright Talons let's get going. Let the runners go…….Check! Check! Incoming fire! Watch-………..Six is down! Six is down! Watch your tail two! There's a whole bunch of them!"

Suddenly, that voice vanished in a hiss of static.

Athena slapped the com switch.

"Core Control! Request permission to launch!"

"Core Command to Black Raptors, hold position." Rigel replied.

"What?" Athena bellowed as she heard two more signals wink out into static. "They're getting chewed up out there!"

"Hold position," Rigel repeated.

It was over in a matter of a few centons. Athena listened with numb horror as the number of pilots dwindled, until just before the end, one voice came over saying.

"We're not gonna make, are we?" A few microns later, it was finished, the channel hissing ominously.

Athena glanced around at the other ships in the bay, each team had their heads hung low. She saw Milesar, in the Raptor next to her, his whole body shaking with rage.

Jodas stood over the monitor, staring at the space where "his" kids used to be, his mouth slack, eyes burning with unreleased tears. Behind him, he heard Adama and Tigh, shuffle uneasily.

"Have the Raptors stand down," he heard Adama, as if he were a great distance away.

"Yes, sir," Tigh replied.

Jodas's head dropped to rest against the monitor screen. His eyes closed, fighting back the tears.

This had been his mistake. He had been so certain that the Cylon base ship would have been there. It should have been there! Cylons, as a rule, were dogged tacticians, not brilliant ones. They stuck with what worked.

"I don't understand it," he finally croaked.

"Perhaps it was Baltar?" asked Tigh. "He would know how to anticipate such a maneuver."

"Yes," said Jodas. "But he would have just run and hid. He's not smart enough to think of something like this."

"It looks as if we have a new adversary," said Adama grimly. Then he turned to Omega. "What is our current compliment of support craft?"

"We're down to seventy-two ships," Omega said dutifully. "Full compliment for Blue, Red, and Silver-Spar squadrons, plus the Black Raptor compliment, minus their two casualties thus far. Plus another six support Vipers from what remains of Green and Yellow Squadrons."

Adama closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on.

"Well," he said grimly. "We can't just rush blindly ahead without knowing what's in front of us." He considered his words for a micron. "Maintain the patrol schedules. Tell the pilots to take no unnecessary risks, and return home at the first sight of trouble."

"Yes, sir," Tigh replied, his teeth gritting nervously. His eyes flitted between Adama and Jodas, who now turned to face the Commander.

"You realize, Commander," Jodas said. "That no matter how cautious they are, some of them will not come home every time you send them out."

"Yes," Adama replied shortly. "But what else are we left with?"

Jodas was about to reply when a signal crackled over the com frequency.

Omega quickly fixed on the source.

"It's coming from the skirmish zone." He reported. "Narrow beam. Definitely directed at us."

An image appeared on the monitor. It was a dark blue colored IL series Cylon. His red eye sensors bounced back and forth in their sockets, while the white globe of neural indicators flashed in a spiraling pattern within the clear cover of his head.

"This is a signal for Commander Adama of the Colonial Fleet," the Cylon stated in a smooth, slightly accented voice.

Adama fought back his hatred and fear, stepping up to the screen with his hands clasped behind his back.

"This is Commander Adama," he replied evenly.

"Ah, Commander," the Cylon said, his upturned lip lights flashing as he spoke. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Shadow, commander of the forces that you are currently facing. I am request a few centons of your time, so that we may begin discussing terms."

"What terms are you referring to?" Adama asked.

"Why, your surrender of course," Shadow replied. The IL Cylon actually sounded surprised.

Adama raised his eyebrows.

"What gives you the impression that we would even consider surrendering to you?" He asked.

"Oh please, commander," Shadow said. "How long do you honestly expect to be able to continue this little journey? It is simply a matter of time before your food and resources dwindle to nothing. What I am offering is an opportunity for you to save the lives of your people."

"Indeed?" Adama said, his gaze growing dark. "Well, I thank you for your concerns. However, I think we'll simply press on at this time. Good day." He cut the channel.

"Arrogant little snitrad," Jodas growled with barely contained rage.

"At least we'll know his position," Tigh said. He turned to Omega, but the Flight Officer merely shook his head.

"The message came from the site of the Gray Talons ambush. Possibly through a relay pod." He said.

"The same pod that blinded the Gray Talons scanners," Tigh finished.

He turned to Adama. "This makes no sense Adama. Obviously it is a Cylon Base ship we're dealing with, but the Commander of the forces is behaving more like one of us than one of them?"

Shadow stepped away from the monitor, mildly perturbed at the Colonial Commanders insolence. He gave a sigh and turned to face Kadal.

"Get a fix on the Colonial fleet," he ordered.

"By your command," Kadal intoned, and he gave the necessary instructions to the flight centurions.

"Also," Shadow continued. "Shut down all beacons and secondary power systems, sensors, running lights, anything the Colonials could home in on. I want to run dark until we are right on top of them."

"By your command," Kadal affirmed.

"All Pilots to launch positions." Shadow finished. "Stand by for my launch order." He turned and left the room as the lights in the ship began to dim.

Shadow strolled through the darkening corridors of his ship, his neural net working furiously on a plan of attack. He began ticking off the weaknesses in human physiognomy and psychology, searching for any point to exploit, and had it before he reached his cavernous command room.

"Of course," he said to himself. "It's so simple."

The tension in the Colonial fleet had jumped several notches as word of Shadow's message began to spread.

Aboard the Galactica, Adama ordered all pilots to maintain stand-by readiness.

Four six days, the tension mounted as nothing happened. Even the patrols stopped coming under attack. By the end of the seventh day, no one in the fleet could even speculate as to where Shadow and his Base Ship had gone. However, everyone agreed that the Cylon Commander had not gone very far.

"This waiting game is really starting to get under my skin," said Starbuck as he paced around the Blue Squadron Ready Room. "I'd almost wish the tin heads would do something, anything!"

As he continued pacing, Boomer watched him with a mildly amused look on his dark skinned face.

"Better be careful," he cautioned. "You might get what you ask for."

Starbuck gave him a sardonic look and continued pacing. Then he reached into his pocket and tossed a deck of pyramid cards on the table.

"I'm not playing against you," said Boomer, holding his hands up. I've lost enough cubits so far this secton. No more."

In the Black Raptor Ready Room, Athena and Backis watched as Brie also paced angrily about, like a caged animal. It was a side of the blonde warrior that Athena had never seen before. True, Brie had always been nervous, but not to the extreme she was now.

"Hey," Athena asked in the brief microns of motionlessness before the next wave of pacing. "You okay?"

Brie looked down at Athena, her blue eyes rimmed in red. She shook her head nervously. "I'm fine," she lied.

"You sure?" Backis asked from his place on the bunk.

Brie's lip trembled slightly as she fought her grief back. "No," she finally whispered. She sank down onto the bunk and let her sobs burst out.

Athena went over and put her arm around Brie's shoulder, as the blonde woman sagged against Athena, letting her emotions run their course.

Dietra had been Brie's closest friend. Indeed the two of them had often been a perfect counter for one another. Dietra had been the driving force whenever Brie had been too nervous or self conscious to try certain things, and Brie had been the one to keep Dietra from running off half cocked, as she had been wont to do on many occasions.

Athena looked up at Backis, who only shook his head in sympathy. They stayed with her, long into the night, while she wept.

Shadow's Base Ship hung in the void, thousands of metrons away, following the movement of the Colonial fleet from a point directly above the central mass of ships.

In the darkened and somewhat silent corridors, Shadow strolled into his command chamber, stepping up to his row of control monitors.

Using passive scanners, he locked onto the Colonial fleet for less than a micron. Long enough to give him an image. Then, through computer enhancement, he began to see the specs that indicated each individual ship. A little further, and he could make out the shapes of those vessels, and further…and further…. Until he found the one thing he desired. He sent a silent call signal to Kadal, via the Cylon neural net, and then studied the various angles of his next move, his neural circuits blinking furiously as he planned for any possible contingencies the humans might have in place.

A few short centons later, Kadal entered the room.

"By your command," her droned.

"Kadal," Shadow said in fatherly fashion. "I would like your help in a little experiment I have in mind."

Fifteen centons later, twelve explosive laden Cylon Raiders drifted quietly away from the Base Ship, falling towards the Colonial Fleet.

Athena sat in the billet room, her helmet on the table in front of her. She stared at the half full cup of java in front of her, watching the steam rise from the hot liquid. For some reason, sleep had refused to come to her tonight. That quiet alarm bell in the back of her mind had begun ringing almost four centars ago, and refused to cease. Just as she was about to lose patience and force herself to get some sleep, the blinding red lights of an alert burst to life along with the klaxons wail.

"Frack!" She shouted, spilling the coffee as she sprinted towards the hatch. Backis joined her as she ran down the corridor to the transport.

As the other pilots crammed onto the tiny tram, Milesar leaned forward to her ear.

"Lords, lady," he said. "Don't you ever sleep?"

"No," Athena replied shortly, as she set her helmet on her head.

"Where in the blazes did they come from?" Adama asked angrily.

"Enemy fighters, thirty microns and closing," Rigel reported from her station.

"I don't understand, commander," Omega reported. "One micron the scope was clear, the next, they just popped into view, heading for us!"

"Man all turrets!" Tigh was shouting from behind him. "Prepare for attack!"

"Get those fighters aloft!" Adama ordered.

"Commander," One of the techs said. "I count twelve fighters, total. No more!"

"Twelve?" asked Adama, his face wrinkled in a combination of anger and confusion.

"That's all, sir," the tech replied. "They're coming in at full speed, arcing away from the Galactica!"

Both Tigh and Adama turned to fix the tech with a stern and confused stare.

"Plot trajectory!" Tigh barked.

"They're heading into the main body of the fleet!" The tech replied a few microns later. "Right for – Sir! They're heading towards Agro Ship Two!"

The Raptors and the Vipers vaulted from the Galactica, hurtling to intercept the incoming Cylons, but it was already too late.

The Cylon Fighters never altered their course. They didn't even fire a shot. Two of them were picked off by turrets on a couple of the other ships, but the remaining ten slammed, one after another, into the body and domes of the Agro Ship. The massive explosions ripped into the very heart of the ship, tearing plasteen and supports, shattering the transparent domes, buckling plates, until one of them exploded near the solium storage tank.

As if time itself wanted to embellish the moment, the Agro ship seemed to slowly flare up until the blinding wash of light burst from it, shattering the ship with a thunderous explosion. Several Vipers, not quick enough to avoid the debris were caught in the blast and vaporized.

"My God!" Starbuck gasped as he watched the destruction.

"Break off! Break off!" Apollo's voice burst through the static.

The Vipers and Raptors rolled in opposite directions, taking cover behind the mass of other, larger ships.

"Did you see that?" Backis called in dismay.

"They didn't even fire a shot!" Justi replied, her voice quavering as she and Brie were shook by the outer edge of the shockwave.

"What was the point?" came another voice.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Athena, seething with rage. "We're under siege!"

Adama stared at the place where the Agro Ship had been, watching as the last bits of atmosphere flashed fiery red in the void. The debris spread rapidly, colliding with several other ships, causing a fair amount of collateral damage.

Behind him, Colonel Jodas stood, his face set with grim determination.

"There's only one way we're getting out of this, Commander," he said with a growl in his voice.

Adama turned to look at the old warrior. "How's that?" he asked.

Jodas smiled a smile that sent an involuntary shiver up Adama's back.

"I've been watching this character," said Jodas. "And I think I have an idea."

He gestured for Adama to join him at the table.

Adama stood erect and proud on the bridge of his ship, staring down at the monitor with undisguised contempt. On the screen, the face of the midnight blue IL Series Cylon appeared.

"You understand, now, Commander?" Shadow said. "I can dispose of your fleet, one vessel at a time, should I choose. Will you now consent to the logical alternative, and surrender your fleet before more lives are unnecessarily lost?"

"If I understand correctly, all that I have seen, and all that has been reported to me, then the compliment of fighters aboard a Base ship number around three hundred, yes?" Adama asked.

Shadow froze for a moment. Then his lower lip lights flashed when he spoke.

"You are attempting to make a point, Commander?" he asked sourly.

"Only this," Adama said. "You may have used twelve of your fighters to destroy one ship, but you do not have sufficient firepower to do the same to every ship in the fleet. Besides, if your numbers fall too greatly, you may also find yourself in the unenviable position of having to defend ourselves from an attack by us."

Shadow stood completely motionless, so Adama continued.

"One ship," he said. "Two at most, and then your fighters would become too precious for you to waste them in suicide runs against civilian ships."

Again Shadow stood still, apparently with nothing to say.

"The Galactica has tangled with Base Ships before, and won," He stood a little taller, as if taunting Shadow. "What makes you think you'll be so different?"

Surreptitiously he flicked his gaze over at Jodas and Athena, seated at her old post, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she tried to trace the signal to it's source.

"I am unlike any adversary you have encountered, Adama," Shadow said proudly. "I have more stra-" He stopped momentarily, and then raised a robed hand, slowly waggling a finger at the screen.

"Ah, ah ah," He said lightly, as if scolding a child. "Good try, Commander, but not quite good enough." The scanner went blank.

"Frack!" Athena said, slamming her hands against the keyboard. Like everyone else, the tension of the situation had begun to wear away at her nerves.

"Fifteen more microns and I would have had that –" She caught herself before cursing again.

"Did you at least get close?" asked Jodas.

Athena went back through the data, looking for the correlation between the signal and the flight paths of the suicidal fighters.

"Nearest possible estimate puts them somewhere…." Her finger reached up to point at the display on the screen. "Here." The word died on her lips as her eyes turned up towards the ceiling. "Or otherwise, up there." She pointed up beyond the steel of the hull, above the fleet.

"He needs to be far enough away for the scanners to be unable to pick him up." Said Tigh.

"Yeah," said Starbuck as he stepped up to the command platform, accompanied by Apollo. "But he has to be close enough to launch fighters at us."

"What if they're running dark?" asked Apollo. "When that mess happened aboard the Celestra, The crew shut down everything except the manual navigation controls and the thrusters. What if the Cylons are doing the same thing?"

"It would definitely allow them to get a lot closer without us being able to detect them," Tigh confirmed.

"Well," said Athena. "We have a pretty good idea where they are, right now," she held her hands up. "My guess is that they won't stay there for long."

"We need to get out there and pulverize them before they move," said Starbuck emphatically. He straightened suddenly. "Uh, sir." He finished.

"Rushing headlong into battle is not something I look forward to," said Adama. "Not after the fiasco with the Gray Talons. We can't afford to lose any more pilots. There are too few of them left."

The voices fell into an ominous silence.

In that moment, Starbuck looked over at Athena, but she was busy thinking, her eyes searching inward.

"Wait a centon," she said suddenly, and she resumed typing at a frenzied pace.

"What's on your mind, Lieutenant?" asked Jodas.

The other four figures on the command deck stepped up to the railing as she worked furiously with scanner. 

"Cylon base ships use a gravity drive," she said sporadically as she worked. "Even with all their regular systems shut down, the drive has to remain active, so…" she stopped and then leaned back, her eyes locked hungrily on a spot. "There." She said finally.

On all the monitors, a small blip began to flash red.

"Unless a new planet has formed in the last two centars, that's our little tin boy, right there," she finished.

Adama stared down at Athena, pride in his face.

"Way to go," said Starbuck.

As they watched, the target began to slowly move, heading around at a wide arc, slowly moving to a point, somewhere behind the fleet before it winked out, moving beyond range.

"Send a Signal to the Celestra," Adama said. "Have them scan the aft quadrant of the fleet for any gravity distortions. Tell them to report its position directly to the Galactica.

Tigh was smiling. "With pleasure, sir."

Adama turned to Apollo.

"Do you feel like going hunting?" he asked.

Apollo looked at his father, obviously wary of the next mission. However, he simply nodded.

"Good," said Adama. "This is what I want you to do…"

Shadow stood at his command console, silently thrashing himself. He couldn't believe that the Colonial Commander had almost stalled him long enough to give away his position. As soon as he cut the transmission, he gave the orders to move to the trailing edge of the fleet, so he could choose his next target. One of the production vessels would serve in the required capacity.

"We'll see how well you defend against me when you can no longer rely on the firepower of your own Battlestar," Shadow said to himself. Then he gave the orders for the impending attack.

As Apollo, Starbuck, Athena and several other pilots headed towards the launch bay, Starbuck took his chance.

"Uh, Athena?" he asked, grabbing her arm. "Can we talk for a centon?"

"We're getting ready to launch, Starbuck," said Athena, still moving towards the bay.

"I know," said Starbuck quickly. "I just want a centon to talk with you."

"Come on, Starbuck," said Apollo as he passed by.

"Yeah, right," said Starbuck, then he turned and looked at Athena. "Look, uh, I need to ask you a few things, and I don't know where to start."

Athena's gaze bounced from Starbuck to the departing cluster of pilots. Finally she held up her hand.

"Figure out where you want to start, and then come and get me after the mission," she said, and she turned away, jogging after the others.

"Frack," Starbuck muttered, and he followed Athena down the corridor.

The launch bay was a buzz of activity as the Vipers and Raptors went through the ground crew handling stages of preparation. The Vipers sat patiently like missiles in their silos, awaiting the pilots while the Raptors, with a newly designed wing refit, sat in the shuttle launch area, too wide for the tube like launch corridors of the Vipers.

The Pilots and R.O.s ran to their respective ships, as stand by APU's began to kick in with a whine, bringing the power levels up to normal in the ships. External power cables were disconnected and fuel lines retracted as two men stood position at the launch marks for the Raptors.

The calls rang in through Core Control as each ship called in a "Ready to Launch" status. The volume level in the bay rose quickly as each ship was quickly prepped for launch.

With expert ease, Athena rolled her ship to the launch mark, watching the signals of the ground crew operator. She locked the ship in place as the ground crewman brought his hands over his chest, signaling stop, another gesture and she locked the brakes, letting the powerful engines idle impatiently as she finished out her checklist.

"What's the game plan, boss?" asked Backis from his seat behind her.

"We need to figure out a way to detect the Cylon fighters before they hit our ships," said Athena. "They'll be in free fall until they hit striking distance-"

"So set the scanners to watch for inertial displacement relative to the size of the target," Backis finished for her, a smile on his face.

"Great minds think alike," Athena replied. She glanced over at Captain Milesar, sitting at the front controls of his own Raptor. The Captain gave her a nod, which she acknowledged with thumbs up. 

Milesar's voice came over the bridge speakers.

"Core Control, the Raptors are ready to fly."

Adama looked over at Tigh, and gave a nod.

"Get them in the air," Tigh said through his headset.

Sgt. Rigel switched channels and gave the order.

"Core Control, Black Raptors are clear to launch."

"Let's light em up," said Milesar, and he hit the throttle, his ship vaulting forward. Athena was right behind him. The remaining raptors flew out, right behind them, ten ships in all. The Vipers of Blue and Red Squadrons burst from the various launch tubes on either side of the Galactica, falling into formation with the bigger Raptors.

"Alright, ladies and gents," said Backis. "I have anew recipe for the scanners, guaranteed to cook up a target or two for you all tonight. Open your channels and be ready to receive," Backis said with a showy air. "We'll be looking for movement out here tonight, not emissions. Spatial movement only."

"Ah," came Starbucks voice. "I get it…wait a centon, no I don't."

"Should have slept less, and studied more at the academy," said Athena, a smile on her face. "The Cylon ships will be in power down mode, and gliding after the fleet. It will take them longer to get to us, but they can get a lot closer before we know they're here. We're gonna scan for the mass, not the energy."

"Oh, well, if you put it that way, it makes sense," said Starbuck. "Like following someone's shadow."

"Sure, Starbuck. Sure," Athena said.

"Athena," Starbuck continued. "About what I wanted to talk to you about…"

"We're in the middle of a mission, here, Starbuck," said Athena, cutting him off. "Get back to me later on that, okay?"

"Uh, sure," said Starbuck.

"Captain!" Came a call from Raptor 3. "Fen here. I have a small cluster of objects in a free fall path on the prescribed route. They look like asteroids, but there's no random orbit of the objects?"

"Those are our targets," Milesar replied. "Raptors three through six, form on me, Raptors seven through ten, stay with Athena. Go to Talon Formation and prepare to engage!"

Apollo watched as the Raptors peeled away, forming up into an X shaped formation, with the arms fanning up and forward from the central ship. The ten Raptors took on a claw like look, named in memory of the lost Gray Talon Squadron.

Apollo counted down the microns and then keyed his com.

"Okay Blue Squadron," he called. "Let's go to work!"

The Vipers also turned, forming up their ranks as they moved to support the Raptors.

"Talk to me, Back," said Athena as she looked around them for the incoming targets.

"I'm looking, I'm looking!" Backis called back.

"According to my readings," said Fen in confusion. "We should be seeing them by now!"

"What the hell is that?" came Lt. Nagon's deep voice.

"Cap!" came Justi's shrill voice. "This isn't right! We should be in the middle of them. According to my readings, we're in the middle of their formation!"

"I need a call, Captain?" Sgt. Tarrils voice was tight with pre combat nerves.

"Backis?" Athena said in numbing horror. "Are you in my mind right now?"

"Yeah," said Backis dryly. "And I'm not liking what I see." His hands danced across the keypad, running various scans of the surrounding sector.

"Heste, here, Captain!" came another voice over the com. "I have several small objects ahead, emitting pulse signals along the spectrum we were scanning. They look like decoy markers."

"Just as I thought," Backis replied. "Captain, I have no large gravity target in the assigned sector. I repeat, no target!"

"Frack!" Milesar cursed, hitting the broad channel com. "Blue Squadron! Return to base! This mission is a wash! I repeat The mission is a wash! Return to defend the fleet immediately!"

Apollo bit back a curse of his own. "Blue squadron acknowledges." He answered, and the Vipers turned back, with turbos blazing.

"Core Control!" Athena called. "This is Raptor two! Do a scan for a large gravity disturbance! They've moved again!"

Adama caught his breath. His eyes darted to Tigh, and then he leaned over Omega's shoulder.

"Do the scan!' He barked. Then he looked down and keyed his intercom. "Recall the flight crews!" 

No sooner had he said it, than the Galactica was rocked backward by a head on blow.

"Suicide bomber!" Tigh called out. "We have targets appearing all around us!"

"All batteries commence fire!" Adama said quickly.

"I have a large gravity anomaly one quarter hectar from us Commander, dead ahead!" Omega barked a short while later.

Meanwhile, Rigel keyed her com, her usually singsong voice, wavering with fear.

"Galactica to all fighters, we are under attack!"

Athena froze when she heard the call. In one mind, the ten Raptors turned in unison and blazed back toward the fleet.

"Core Control!" Athena called. "Did you find that blasted base ship yet?"

"Affirmative," came Rigel's reply. Approximately one quarter hectar distant, dead ahead."

"Transfer precise coordinates to the Raptors immediately!" Athena replied.

"Uh, boss?" Backis asked tentatively. "What are you thinking?"

"What?" Athena replied. "You're not in my head any more?"

"Oh, no. I'm still in there. I just can't believe what I think you're thinking,"

"It's the only way to get those fighter to pull back from the Galactica," said Athena. Her scanner blinked, and she transferred the coordinates to the rest of the squadron while informing Milesar of her plan.

"I like it," he replied. "But we need to make a statement when we do it. We'll plow straight through the battle, and then head off towards the Base Ship, that way, the tin heads can't miss us."

"Let's load em up!" came Tarril's voice.

"Save the missiles for the big daggit," Milesar said. "Switch to cannons until we clear the fight."

The responses came back instantly.

Starbuck wheeled his Viper out of the path of an oncoming Cylon, bringing his ship around on the bandit's tail. He quickly and expertly dispatched his latest target. Then he risked a quick glance at the Galactica. Fires raged in several compartments, sending orange tongues out into space from breached bulkheads.

"Apollo!" He called. "The Galactica can't take much more of this!"

"I know Starbuck! I know!" Apollo replied sharply.

As they both fought their relentless enemy, they saw help coming in the form of ten wicked ships.

"Raptors!" Apollo called. "We could use an assist here!"

There was no answer.

"Raptors, do you copy?" Apollo called again. Still nothing.

"Uh, Athena?" Starbuck called.

The ten ships fanned out and in one burst, opened up with their laser cannons, firing relentlessly before them, clearing a path through the Cylon fighters before whipping past the Galactica and out into deep space.

"What the hell was that?" asked Starbuck. He watched the drive tails as they faded from sight.

"Watch your back, Starbuck!" Boomer called. 

Starbuck wheeled his ship over, just missing being the latest Cylon casualty. The Cylon never got another shot as another Viper quickly dispatched it.

"Thanks Bojay!" Starbuck called out.

"No problem!" Bojay called back.

Kadal entered the command chamber and found Shadow standing at his console, observing the data coming in from the battle.

"By your command," Kadal intoned.

"An interesting turn of events," Shadow replied. "It appears that several of the Colonial fighter craft have broken off, heading directly for us. Can you explain that?"

"I cannot," Kadal replied. "The Colonial Warriors should not be able to detect our ship in its current operation."

"If there is one thing I have come to learn about humans, is that when they should not be able to do something, that is when they usually do it." Shadow entered a few commands and brought up a form scan on the approaching ships. They were the modified ones that had destroyed Darnos's Base Ship. Ten of them.

"Oh Felgercarb," Shadow said dryly. "Issue recall commands to our fighters. Tell them to withdraw at once and return to defend us."

"But we have not yet destroyed the Galactica," Kadal reminded his superior.

"It only took five of those ships to destroy Darnos and his centurions. We now have twice that many coming directly for us. I feel the time for stealth has past." Shadows voice began to take a panicked edge. "Bring all systems back on line, charge laser batteries, and bring electronic defense fields to maximum strength!"

"By your command," Kadal said, and he turned to leave.

"Hurry, you golden oaf!" Shadow bellowed after him.

"Hello!" Backis called out.

"What?" Athena asked.

"The target just lit up like a spotlight!" Backis responded. "It looks like they just kick started the whole ship at once!"

"I think it's safe to say that they know we're coming," said Milesar. "Spread out, and get ready to fire. Switch to missile targeting system, arm all warheads."

The Raptors once again assumed the ominous Talon formation and made ready to fire.

"As soon as you fire, break off!" Milesar. "Get clear of the Base Ship's guns so we can make a second run if we need to!"

"Cap!" Ensign Mira's voice rang in. "I have a large number of craft approaching from behind us. Looks like the tin heads withdrew their whole attack when they made us!"

"I wasn't planning on that!" said Athena.

"I think they've already learned to respect these machines!" Milesar said. "Let's not disappoint them. Prepare to fire!"

Shadow strode into the command center and stood at the tactical monitor, watching the X shaped formation approach.

"Our fighters?" he asked.

"Fighters returning at top speed," the silver centurion droned.

Shadow resigned himself to the fact that his beautiful Base Ship was about to be damaged. "Lock all turrets on the Colonial formation and open fire the micron they are within range."

"By your command," the centurion replied. A few microns later he droned. "Commence firing."

"I think they've seen us!" Nagon called out. His ship lurched wildly as it absorbed a glancing blow from the laser bursts. His ship wobbled unsteadily as smoke belched from the fuselage.

"Break and head for home!" Milesar ordered.

Cursing, Nagon turned his ship out of the formation, heading a round about course back to the Galactica.

Rodin and Doer in Raptor nine, were not so lucky. A single torpedo slammed into the nose of their ship, burning through the shields and bursting the ship into a brilliant fireball.

Milesar cursed. Then his scanner lit up.

"Fire! Fire! Fire!" He bellowed.

Missiles leapt forward from beneath the wings of the Raptors, streaking towards the massive target.

The Raptors pulled away before they could witness the results of their attack.

Shadow leaned over the monitor and watched with horror as thirty-two plumes of smoke homed in on his ship.

"Send out an electro-magnetic pulse," he ordered quickly. He watched with satisfaction as the majority of the missiles detonated well out from his ship, but several were still coming, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Oh dear," he said.

The impacts rocked the ship from top to bottom, and alarm claxons sounded as the base ship absorbed eight direct hits from the Raptors lethal volley.

"Kadal!" Shadow called in a shriek. "Damage Report!"

"All weapons systems and shield power supplies off line," Kadal replied without emotion. "Hull ruptures are numerous on the lower hull and command core. Secondary and tersery computer backup systems off line."

Shadow looked over at the Centurion sitting at tactical. It sat smoking, deactivated from the exploding monitor that had blown out its primary processor.

Quickly, Shadow pulled up the tactical image on his own monitor, observing that his Raiders had engaged the Colonial fighters.

"All fighter, return to base," Shadow said. "Prepare to retreat! All fighters return to base immediately, prepare to retreat!"

He watched in satisfaction as the remains of his forces broke off from the Colonial rabble, and had a micron of satisfaction when his tactical display registered a hit on one of the Colonial ships.

"Frack!" Athena shouted in fear as her panels arced and burst into flames. "Talk to me Backis!"

"We're bad boss!" Backis replied. "Real bad!"

"Captain?" Athena called.

Milesar pulled alongside and then coasted around Athena's ship, surveying the damage.

Most of the aft quarter of her ship had been slagged, or was burnt through, revealing melted and arcing circuits and components.

"Oh man" he said. Then he keyed the mic. "There's no way in Hades you'll be able to land this thing on the Galactica. Rega, find them a place to set down."

"Already on it." Rega replied from behind him. Then a few microns later. "I have a small, delta class planet, roughly half way between here and the home base. You should be able to dump it there, Athena."

"Take me in, Cap," said Athena, feeling a horrifying sense of deja-vu. This had been how she and Michas had gone down in the first Raptor. Now history was repeating itself with her at the controls.

They found the planet without too much trouble. A lush, green world covered with thick clouds.

"Got it," said Athena. She looked over at Milesar, still flying on her wing.

"Better get going, Captain," she suggested.

"Once I know your down, sure," Milesar replied. "Good luck."

Athena's Raptor slammed into the friction of the atmosphere and began its long, inevitable plummet towards the surface. The tail end of the ship smoked as the Raptor bounced, ripping itself apart.

"Ready?" Athena called behind her.

"Give me the word!" Backis replied, his hands hovering over the eject controls.

Athena's eyes bounced between the view outside and her altimeter. Once they reached the safe lever, she keyed her mic one more time.

"This is Raptor two! We are punching out, now!" She let go of the controls and leaned back. "Hit it Backis!" she screamed.

The two seated blasted from the dying ship, tumbling through the air as the chutes deployed, slowing their decent.

Athena watched the thick jungle canopy rushing up to meet her feet. Looking about, she could see Backis's chute, also falling to the ground. Then she saw the spectacular fireball of her ship as it plowed into the ground below, erupting in a cloud of superheated metal and fuel.

The trees swallowed Backis's form, and then microns later, hers as well as she felt the branches of the tree snapping beneath her, pummeling her from all sides.

"This is really gonna hurt," She thought, then something slammed into the side of her helmet and sent her into unconsciousness…

END


End file.
